Narrowing Topics

BRAINSTORMING

• What do you know about the topic?
• What interests you about the topic?
• What would you like to learn more about?

REVIEWING

• Review the research that has already been done by checking encyclopedia entries on the subject, doing a brief search of the broad topic in a database or Search Tools or Google Scholar, or by scanning through some review articles on the topic. Find a book on the general topic and look at the table of contents or index to find narrower topics.

REVIEWING

• Find a book on the general topic and look at the table of contents or index to find narrower topics.

OTHER QUESTIONS

• What is my purpose in writing this paper?
• Are there controversial issues related to the topic that interest me?
• Are there controversial issues related to the topic that interest me?
• What surprises you about the topic or makes you ask why?